When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, they stepped off the boat into a wild, unfamiliar place. The Wampanoag Indians, seeing that the white people’s numbers decreased day by day, decided to help. Thanks to the Pilgrims’ fortitude and the aid of the Wampanoag Indians, not only did the Pilgrims beat a path for the rise of a nation, they and the Wampanoag set the foundation for one of America’s most beloved holidays.

As Christmas decorations and sales threaten to obscure our modern celebration, Thanksgiving still has much to teach us:

Modern Thanksgiving celebrations should be no different. We are blessed to live in a country where we don’t have to worry about food supply. We can get in our cars and drive to a grocery store with shelves stocked full of delicious foods from all over the country. We also have an international section. There’s no need to roam the woods to bring home that perfect Thanksgiving turkey. We don’t have to grow the wheat to make the bread, harvest the pumpkins for the pie, or labor all summer to cultivate the vegetables for the side dishes. We have people that do that for us – farmers.

Decorations inspired by nature will fill the home of nature enthusiast Marilyn Grau this holiday season.

“I love nature – the crunch of autumn leaves under my feet, the warm tide washing tiny, sparkling shells onto the beach and the rippling laughter of a cool, mountain stream,” said Grau. “It was my own yard’s wild beauty that drew me to the place I call home – a case of love at first sight!”

Grau said she sought to replicate the “wonder of God’s creation” inside her house. And, that’s exactly what she’s done.